"The first victory we can claim is that our hearts are free of hatred. Hence we say to those who persecute us and who try to dominate us: ‘You are my brother. I do not hate you, but you are not going to dominate me by fear. I do not wish to impose my truth, nor do I wish you to impose yours on me. We are going to seek the truth together’. THIS IS THE LIBERATION WHICH WE ARE PROCLAIMING."
Oswaldo José Payá Sardiñas (2002)

Today no one can say that what there is in Venezuela is a democracy. The
authoritarian, repressive, and criminal reaction to the protests have
been a blow to freedom that leaves no doubt that we live in a dictatorship. A dictatorship that has been incubating for years, that no one can fail to see and recognize.
The
call that I made from the Plaza Brión de Chacaito in Caracas a few days ago
to take to the streets peacefully from February 12 has been more
than overwhelming, in its commitment , in its massiveness , and in its permanence. Today
I am in prison in Ramo Verde for making a call to raise our voice of
commitment and of democratic struggle. Today before you I want to affirm that I do
not regret the price I am paying with my freedom for having made the call to build together the change we require in Venezuela. It has been worthwhile.

If they applied to all citizens the same punishment they aim to impose on me with my physical imprisonment they would have to build prisons for millions of Venezuelans who are willing to make that sacrifice.Within
the constraints imposed by prison I have followed carefully the call for
dialogue by those who are now in power and the opinions expressed by my
colleagues in the Unity , and therefor, in that context, I propose the
following path of action:

1) Standing firm with the nonviolent protests, there is no reason to give up our struggle. We
can not give up, we must go on for the fallen, for the tortured, for the prisoners, for the entire Venezuelan people that today suffers the attacks of a completely
autocratic system. We must remain steadfast.

2) We propose an agenda with specific acts framed in the constitution and
justice. There can be no true peace without justice and freedom, these demands are:

a ) The release of all political prisoners and the return of the exiles.

b ) Justice for those killed by repression and abuse, both for the material authors and forthose who gave theorders.

c ) Reassemble the public authorities whose mandates expired according
to the constitution , a new controller, new directors of the CNE , new
judges of the supreme court.It is justice, it is constitutional and should be undertaken as an
immediate step for the call to dialogue to be credible with actions and not
just with words.

d
) We demand the resignation of those responsible by action and by omission for the repression, the torture and the deaths. There is no way to lower the
intensity of our protests the following do not resign: Miguel Rodríguez Torres,
primarily responsible for the repression, and Luisa Ortega Diaz , primarily responsible for unjust imprisonments and impunity.

e
) We demand justice for the fraud of 30 billion dollars stolen in CADIVI. That elite is
to blame for the terrible economic model that today
has Venezuelans in lines for shortages, inflation and unemployment.

They stole the equivalent of the international reserves and nothing has happened . Identified
as principles responsible for the theft to the nation are Rafael Ramirez ,
Nelson Merentes and Manuel Barroso. They are the ones who signed and turned in the liquidation of those dollars that stayed in their pockets and
those of their friends. We demand jail for those corruptors who stole from the nation.

With
this agenda, which includes the street protests of the democratic unity,
we propose to send a clear message of what are our conditions for dialogue
and bring these proposals to street assemblies to legitimize them and
to expand the petitions of the Venezuelan democratic people against the dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro.We call on all social, political movements and the Venezuelan people to
together articulate a movement of popular strength to make our demands
reality.To the
regime and in particular to Maduro we say that not having a timely response to
these democratic, just and constitutional demands we will have no choice
but to assume the commitment to continue on the street, intensify the peaceful,
but irreverent, and forceful protests until we see the birth of the country that we all deserve.

Tomorrow I
invite you to support at ten in the morning concentration convened by
Antonio Ledezma in the Alfredo Sadel de las Mercedes Plaza which then will head to
the OAS to demand that the Venezuelan situation be discussed. Pay close attention because every day strong actions will be announced that will go from less to more. It will be the alternative leaders who will make that announcement.A new stage of the struggle is coming. This is just beginning. I assure
you that this awakening of the people of Venezuela will make our energies continue to grow.Finally to
our committed youth, a message of admiration and respect, you are on the
right side of history, a deeply patriotic history. It has been the cycle of
history which again has called them to be at the forefront of this
difficult and painful birth, but just the country we deserve, that better Venezuela.

They will not be able to defeat he who does not give up. Strength and faith brothers, strength and faith
brothers, he who tires loses.